Faith IntactMy thoughts on "The Da Vinci Code"
by Wendel Potter
July 2, 2006
The Roman Catholic Church is, if nothing else, highly entertaining. But for me, being a Catholic has been downright embarrassing lately.
I'm not what you would call a devout Catholic. In my opinion the Pope is not infallible, oral contraception is often a wise choice, I doubt the concept of original sin, and I feel I should be trusted with my own conscience thank you very much.
So why do I call myself a Catholic? Because of what I do believe. And because I was linked to the Church by the Irish Catholic blood in my veins and like it or not it is, the bond between the Church and me, an inseparable union.
I continue to believe that the Roman Catholic Church is the one true church instituted by Jesus Christ and no human can excommunicate me. Being a Catholic is my birthright.
I just don't care for some of the rules.
And I don't agree with the clergy and the laity who lashed out this spring at Ron Howard's film version of the Dan Brown NOVEL (as in fiction), "The Da Vinci Code".
As far as I'm concerned, not only did those representing the Church step in the bullshit but they tracked it on their own carpet.
I saw "The Da Vinci Code" the first weekend of its release. My reaction? It was a great movie. It had plot, it had action, it was fast-paced...all of the things you would expect from a murder mystery. Which is what it was.
So what was all the fuss about? Dan Brown wove his tale around a theory that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene who bore him a child and she and the youngster fled to France after the Resurrection and from then on a royal bloodline existed that could be traced back to Christ Himself.
Oh, the horror of it all! I mean, really! Why in the hell would Jesus' family want to move to France?
Anyway, the Catholic Church raised its red flag and declared war on the film. This was, by the way, before anyone had even seen the movie. But why not get an early start?
Over the several weeks leading up to the film's release, sermons and talk shows alike filled the pulpits and the airwaves, hurling missiles at Mssrs. Brown and Howard for undermining the faith of every good Christian with these, these, these lies!
What lies? It certainly aroused my curiosity.
It says nowhere in the Bible that Jesus was married. On the other hand, it says nowhere that he wasn't.
You can argue that all day and nobody wins. It's basically a moot point.
My opinion on this is hardly even an opinion: If Jesus was married and had children, so freaking what?
Why is it heresy to insinuate that our Lord might have engaged in ONE OF THE SACRAMENTS?
Most of us get married in a church, so what's wrong with marriage?
God said, "Be fruitful and multiply" and he gave us the gonads to get the job done. So why should our memory of Jesus Christ be tainted by the image of him having a family? To me, it would make him no less divine, no less of a savior in my heart.
He's still Jesus! He's still The Man!
Think of it this way. If Jesus did have a wife and kids, the family reunions would have been tremendous. They'd have never run out of beer and potato salad.
It was reported that Father Mark Cyza, a priest in Lincoln, Nebraska, allegedly went so far as to tell his flock that anybody who went to see "The Da Vinci Code" would be committing a mortal sin. Even the Vatican didn't hand down that kind of death sentence. Obviously, Father Cyza is somewhat self-righteous and he lends a heavy hand in giving the Church a bad name.
There were protests the week the movie opened. Churches urged boycotts. EWTN, that Cable TV bastion of the Catholic Faith, was littered with programming that condemned "The Da Vinci Code".
Once again, never was so much made out of so little.
The film successfully embarked upon it's expected money-making journey. The Catholic Church continues to stand.
I continue to stand as a Catholic. That is my faith. The Church isn't perfect and neither am I.
I have a mind of my own and a conscience. No church will be allowed to tamper with either one.
Nor will a movie. And it's about time the Church trusts me on that one.
Copyright 2006 by Wendel Potter
|
|
